


Role of the Unknown

by LollipopHime



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternative Universe - Kingdom, Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Developing Friendships, Friendship/Love, M/M, Mentions of ZOOL, Nagi is hope, POV First Person, Rokuya Mitsuki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:40:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23837716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LollipopHime/pseuds/LollipopHime
Summary: Nagi finds himself in a place he does not know and without any clue to who he is. There, he meets Rokuya Mitsuki, a Holy Knight who is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.Why did Nagi lose his memory? Why is he there? And more importantly, who is he?You're about to find out the role of the unknown.
Relationships: Izumi Iori & Izumi Mitsuki, Izumi Mitsuki/Rokuya Nagi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Role of the Unknown

**Author's Note:**

  * For [amoodyone](https://archiveofourown.org/users/amoodyone/gifts).



> Before I say anything else, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY CUWTE KOUHAI!! I hope you like this present!  
> Okay. While it's not extremely angsty I'll still say ANGST ALERT!! Don't worry, I believe I made it a happy ending fic. Ehehehe~  
> Enjoy!! And Kudos and comments are so very appreciated!!! <3

# 

“How did I get here?”

I was already sitting on this long brittle wooden bench when I came to my senses. Rather, I found my legs pointing towards the clear blue sky with my back on the brick floor. Right now, I am standing in front of that bench, searching for an answer to my question.

And I am getting none.

I have no idea why I am here, where I am and more importantly, who I am.

I seem to be in some sort of a medium-sized square with people constantly passing through. There are no signs that could give me an idea of my whereabouts. People are looking at me strangely that I wonder why. I am a beautiful being who do not deserve those questioning looks from those pretty ladies, and I certainly am not nake-

After taking a brief moment for my vision to travel down my perfect skin, I-

“OH MAH GOD!?!”

My exclamation is followed by screams loud piercing screams from the ladies. Good thing I am wearing my tight sexy shorts or I would surely go deaf.

“Pervert!”

“Get out!”

Having no choice I have to run for my life before those projectiles of fruits could harm me. My strategic retreat is flaw-

-ed.

“What do you think you are doing?!?”

An short orange-haired _boy_ stepped in front of me as he shouted. A blade in his hand is pointing at my chest. An inch closer and it would damage my bare skin. His uniform reminds me of a fairy-tale knight. Am I on a surprised stage play? Two taller boys standing behind him rushes to me. They have fancy hair colours for just some knight subordinates.

For now, it is best to let them tie my hands. It is too crowded here. My struggle would be futile. And obviously, I am unarmed.

“You will come with us.”

~~

I was shoved in a stone-walled room underground situated near the huge old castle. Now, they are locking me up behind bars! OH! I am in real trouble now.

The duo subordinates take two steps back, leaving that orange-haired boss _boy_ staring right at me. He must be around 15, no, perhaps 17, but no more.

He begins to speak. “Answer my questions truthfully, and you may be set free.”

I nod while shivering. It is pretty chilly here with only my _sexy_ underwear on. Might as well make this quick.

“Tell me your name, foreigner.”

 _Foreigner?_ Does he think I am a foreigner? Is my behaviour so out of place? Anyway, I should answer his questions first if I want to live. “I regret that I know not of my name, nor where I came from, good sirs”

The boy shrugs his eyebrows, and his subordinates look at each other. I cannot tell if they doubt my story, but they do not seem angry.

“You lost your memory?” The blue-haired subordinate speaks in a bored voice.

“ _Yes,_ I found myself on a bench wearing…” I point at my tight underwear. “...only this. Then I had to run from those fruit throwing festival”

“Poor guy…” The purple-haired subordinate exclaims with his hand covering his mouth. He is giving me a look of pity. Do they _really_ believe me? Just like that?

“Must be another victim of the demons” The boss sighs as he moves his hands up to the lock and shoves the antique key inside it. “I will find some clothes for you to wear and a place for you to stay. Just only until you can get back on your feet.”

“ _What?_ ” I am truly surprised. My expectation only goes as far as for him to let me go. Why he offers such a great help is beyond me, even if he expects some sort of repayment in return. And what did he mean by ‘demons’?

Following the knights up the stair and inside the castle, I ask. “Why would you help a total stranger?”

“Oh right, you lack your memory” The boss turns his head to me while walking down the castle corridor, again made of stones. “You saw how empty the jails were. Thieves, crimes...they hardly ever happen here in this place, Oupurin Kingdom.”

The purple head subordinate picks up where the boss left off. “Our peace is threatened by the demons. Those wretched beings keep coming to wreak havoc in our kingdom.”

The conversation changes when we get to the room at the end of the corridor. The inside is simple. It has one single wooden bed and a large closet. “Stay here for the time being” The boss throws me a set of simple clothing, which I begin to change right away. “I am called Rokuya Mitsuki” He places his right hand on the side of his left waist before bowing to me. It seems to be this Kingdom’s greeting so I decide to return the posture. “This purple-haired man here is Osaka Sougo and this young boy here is Yotsuba Tamaki. We are the Holy Knights in King Izumi’s direct service.”

Tamaki looks very proud to be introduced as the Holy Knight. Sougo, on the other hand, shies away a little. “Tamaki-kun and I are still in training though” So he is humble.

Mitsuki strikes a thinking pose. “Now, since you do not remember your name, we have to give you one…”

“Nagi!”

All of a sudden, my name came back to me, and so I shout. “Nagi is my name! I just remembered!”

Before the could react, we hear a loud commotion from the outside. From what I hear, it says “WE ARE UNDER ATTACK! ALL KNIGHTS TO ARM! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!”

“Shit!” Mitsuki curses. “Sougo. Tamaki. Prepare for a battle!”

“Roger!” The two answer before running away.

Mitsuki turns to me. “Listen. Stay in your room, Nagi. DO NOT come out. I’ll see you later.”

And so he runs away too.

~~

I look through the window to see...havoc. People are running in different directions. The sky seems to have darkened.

Now I understand why this kingdom seems to have a lot of broken structures. Not too far away from the castle grounds, I spot Mitsuki and the knights in training running towards a human-sized winged being who is casting some sort of green smoke spell to melt stone buildings and make people collapse to the ground. Some other knights follow the three as well, but soon they end up running away from the poisonous smoke. If my guess is correct, Sougo is giving them an order to retreat.

What sets the three knights apart are their armours, they seem to be radiating a protective blue barrier. So that is how they stay safe from the poison.

However, they have yet to find a way to fight that mint-haired demon off.

I clench my fists as this is difficult to watch. People are flopping to the ground, one by one. The sound of people’s desperate cries tears my heart. It feels wrong for me to hide in the castle, and I am not a royalty or anything like that. I need to do something. How? I do not even have a single knife in my possession.

_Call…_

Oh? A voice? Looking around myself, I see no one. Am I imagining things?

_Call to me._

There it is again, loud and clear. A soft, calming voice. Closing my eyes, I focus only on that voice.

_Call to me. Use your power._

_Nagi, summon your holy spear. NOW!_

As soon as I reopen my eyes, I feel the power courses through my veins. Knowing what to do now, I let instinct guide my body. I jump off the window, floating in the air for a moment as light orbs start gathering near my hand. The form a golden spear that gleams brightly under as if it is the sun itself. The weight of it feels just right in my right hand as if it is made just for me.

With grace, I land on the floor. Not only I can summon a pretty spear, I can replace these clothes with my _wonderful_ power. The fight is on, meaning I am going to attract attention. Might as well make some sort of princely idol stage clothes for myself to impress the ladies.

Fired up, I dash towards the three Holy Knights who were struggling to keep their magical barrier up against the demon. It is time for Nagi to shine!

“Mitsuki!”

Not waiting for anyone’s response, I jump to the mint-haired demon in the sky.

“A human can fly? Tch. This world is unfair” he says.

He is wrong. I cannot fly, which might be an advantage actually. Seeing as this demon has a long black tail, I grab it before letting gravity do its work.

“Get off me! Urgh! You’re so annoying!”

 _Ouch!_ he keeps kicking my beautiful face! How could he? No matter. His tiny wings should not be able to hold on much longer.

“LET’S PARTY!” I shout excitedly as we start to lose altitude.

The demon and I fall down at high speed, like a shooting star. Of course, before we land, I throw him to the brick floor so that he lands on his face. Me? I land like a hero.

Seeing as Mitsuki is running towards us, I make my spear disappear and open my arms wide as I shout. “Mitsuki now is your chance!”

“Hraaaaaggghhhhhh!” Mitsuki rushes in until he is close enough to the target. He jumps, points his shiny sword down then stabs it hard into the demon’s chest. That being cries in pain before reducing into ash. Immediately, the sky becomes clear again. The poison mists disappear completely.

~~

“Okay, WHAT are you?”

After the fight, Mitsuki grabbed my hand and dragged me all the way back to that castle room. The two trainee knights also followed. Mitsuki was not very gentle, yet I could feel warmth in his hands. His amber eyes never remained still. He must have much on his mind.

Sitting on the edge of an old bed, I make sure my eyes meet Mitsuki’s. “Nagi remains the only thing I know about myself.”

“Tell me the truth!” Mitsuki begins shouting, perhaps out of frustration. “What kind of human can reach the clouds with a single jump? Where do you hide your spear? What about those fancy costume of yours?”

“ _Oh_ I-“

Mitsuki is not done talking. “Are you actually a demon? Did you use us to try to get into a castle in an attempt to assassinate our king?!” He touches the hilt of his sword equipped to his left hip.

“NO! NO!” I wave my hands. “I didn’t know about the demons until you told me.”

“Mikki, I don’t think Nagicchi is lying.” Bored Tamaki sighs before expressing his opinion. “Why would he help us kill that demon if he was a demon himself?”

“ _OH TAMAKI!_ ” Please save me!

“Tamaki has a point” Sougo strikes a deep thinking pose. “He would have gone straight to the throne room rather than coming to our aid if that was his aim.”

“ _SOUGO!_ ” These people are so kind.

Finally, Mitsuki lets out a big sigh and lets his hand flops to his side. “Alright, I’ll trust you, Nagi.” He stops for a moment. Is he processing something?

Mitsuki clasps his hands before sitting on his knees. He looks at me with pleading eyes. “I’ll get you anything. Money, status, a big house, or anything really! Please go on a mission with me”

Just as I am about to say _’What?’_ Sougo gasps, quickly turning his head to Mitsuki. “What?! You can’t do that, Mitsuki-san. It is true I defended him just now, but you can’t risk your life like this!”

“We don’t have a choice, Sougo!” Mitsuki turns to face Sougo and argues back. “Our Kingdom needs his power. None of us is strong enough to face even a single demon.”

“Is there a _problem_?” The situation seems dire. Since I do not have a clue of my identity, might as well hear Mitsuki out.

Sougo goes quiet. He definitely does not like Mitsuki’s idea, whatever it is, but something makes him choose to stay silent. Tamaki looks uncomfortable, or hesitant. His gaze darts left and right, between Sougo and Mitsuki.

“Our Kingdom suffers much from demon attacks. The only way to save it is to retrieve an object called a ‘light sphere’ hidden outside these kingdom walls. This sphere has the holy power to protect our whole kingdom if it is placed inside our castle.” Mitsuki explains. His face shows how heavy his heart is. “Our king has managed to locate its exact location. However, the journey there is dangerous. We have sent out many famous knights, yet none of them ever returned.”

There is a pain in his shaky voice. For someone so young, he is carrying a lot of burden on his shoulder. “So you want me to help hunting down this sphere?”

Mitsuki nods. “Yes. And like I said, I’ll get you anything.”

Seeing him looking so down, I stand up, give him my fanservice wink and touch his shoulders. “ _Very good!_ Consider our contract signed.”

And he finally smiles, even with tears in his eyes, he smiles of hope.

~~

Tamaki and Mitsuki left the room a moment earlier to arrange an audience with the king. Sougo told me to wear my combat armour to see the king as we would have some convincing work to do. After summoning my stunning armour, I am now ready to leave when…

“A moment please, Nagi-kun” Sougo who is standing behind my back speaks with his usual soft voice.

“ _Yes?_ ”

As soon as I turn around, Sougo grabs hold of my collar and drives me to the cold wall. He takes out his knife and points its blade at my neck.

“Listen well, Nagi-kun.”

Okay. His voice is deep, not to mention very creepy. Why is he smiling? Why do I feel so cold? I-I can’t see his eyes. He _really_ is smiling! _Oh my god!_

“If you did anything to hurt Mitsuki, I would end you. In the most painful way possible. Do you understand?”

“I-“ I want to say, ‘I promise to keep him safe’ but Sougo seems even _happier_.

“Yes or No, Nagi-kun? Don’t make me repeat myself” Sougo tilts his head. His smile becomes even wider, but it lacks gentleness.

I-I need help. I am going to die from a heart attack before I get beheaded.

“ _YES! YES! YES!_ ” I shout as loud as possible, hoping he would return to his normal self. Or is this his normal self? I don’t even know anymore. Just...let me live, _please?_

Sougo releases his grip. My knees feel so weak that I flop to the floor. I still cannot get the image of smiley Sougo out of my head. How can the man in front of me be real? He looks very polite, yet his smile is anything but gentle. “If you understand then I must ask you as well. Please save our kingdom. Protect our royal family.”

He bows deeply. “Shall we get going? It is best not to leave King Izumi waiting.”

I am traumatised for many years to come.

~~

The throne room is not anything grand. It is large but mostly empty. Only one marble throne stands in the middle of the room. Honestly, it seems out of place. This kingdom must have been struggling with demon attacks for a long time for even a throne room to look so run down.

Mitsuki and Tamaki walk towards us as soon as we enter the room. There are no other guards or knights, which is depressing.

The four of us approaches the king together at the same time. And _Oh my god_ the _king_ looks only about Sougo’s age? I was expecting some old man with a white beard and a crown. This king sits on a throne without any accessories to show his wealth what so ever.

The young king frowns when he sees my face. It seems he catches my surprise.

“Welcome, Nagi. Rokuya has told me of your tale. For saving this Kingdom from the attack earlier, you have my deepest gratitude.” The king touches his hands to his opposite shoulders. He gives a small, composed smile. Although, his icy grey eyes remain cold. Despite his simple attire, he does give off the aura of royalty.

“It was nothing, your majesty. I simply did what I could do to help.” I make that greeting gesture Mitsuki did to me, hoping it is appropriate. No one seems to be stopping me so I guess this is fine.

“Forgive me for cutting to the chase, but Rokuya has asked for your aid regarding the mission. Am I correct?” The dark-haired king drops his smiles, stands up and begins to walk towards the four of us. I confirm that it is true.

Mitsuki looks at the king, not taking his eyes off him. Is it just my imagination that just now the king’s gaze showed a hint of compassion when it landed on the holy knight?

“If I may add, King Izumi, I think Nagi would not betray us and that he is more capable of this mission than any of us.” Sougo flashes a corner of his creepy smile to me and I shiver.

It seems the king notices my reaction. He nods. “I see you had him under control, Osaka. Very well, Rokuya and Nagi. The fate of our Kingdom is in your hands. Please, save us from the darkest time. Be our light. Should you need any support, come see me directly.”

~~

_That’s it, Nagi. Use my power._

_Call to me._

I wake up to Mitsuki shaking my body vigorously. It is still dark outside, with only a few candles lighting up the room.

Last night, I ended up sleeping in Mitsuki’s room. We spent our whole afternoon discussing the details of our mission, including planning out the safest routes possible. It was vital to avoid going right into demon’s territories.

I feel like I could hear someone talking in my dream even though I had a good sleep. If I am not wrong, it was the same voice I heard when I unlocked my power.

 _Whose_ voice is that?

All of a sudden, a pillow flies towards me and hits my pretty face, causing me to fall off the bed.

“Oi, Nagi! WAKE UP! We need to set off, NOW.”

Annoyed, Mitsuki puts his hands on his waist. _Oh_ right. We have decided to leave well before sunrise to not bother the residents. Still,…

“ _Ouch Mitsuki,_ that hurt!”

...he did not have to be so angry.

Mitsuki lets out a heavy sigh. “I can’t believe this guy is our shining hero.”

~~

We are now standing at the Kingdom gate. Soon as we step outside, our journey begins.

“Wait!”

Just before we set off, a figure comes running towards us. My eyes widen from surprise when he lifts his head after catching his breath.

“King Izumi?” I speak, but it seems the king is only focused on Mitsuki right now. He has tears in his eyes. His face is expressing a mix of anger and...pain? Why?

Looks like I am about to find out.

“How very cruel of you!” The king stands right in front of Mitsuki, bawling at him. Soon, though, that bawling turns into a quiet sob. “How can you leave without saying anything to me,...Nii-san?”

Nii-san? _Wait,_ these two are…?!?

The king continues to speak. “What if I never get to see you again? How cold can you be?” It is clear he is terribly upset. I find it quite hard to believe this is the same man I had a proper audience with yesterday. He looks just like a regular teenage boy.

Come to think of it, Mitsuki is also like one.

Mitsuki pulls the young king into his embrace. He hugs tight, rubbing the king’s head as a way to comfort him. “I’m sorry, Iori. Honestly, I didn’t want to see you cry.”

The holy knight begins to breakdown. He cries loudly. It is so loud and so desperate that my heart is shaken. These two, and many other people like Sougo and Tamaki deserve to live their lives comfortably.

I look up to the dark sky.

“ _God,_ what have these people done to deserve this?”

~~

We are on a journey to our first destination, the base of the volcano Larkrann, situated miles away from the Kingdom walls. Our path is through a thick forest of Darkkwood. After that, we will have to hike up the volcano, before finding a secret path down into the cave under the sea. Sounds _amazing_ , right? The king has said that according to the Kingdom’s old legend, this passage does exist. This means we do not know if a said path really is there for us or not.

It has been way too quiet. We have been walking for about an hour, and Mitsuki has not said a single word since we set off. It is understandable. Still,…

“Mitsuki, let’s stop” I shout as I am walking not far behind him.

He does not stop.

“Mitsuki”

He keeps walking.

“ _MITSUKI!_ ” I shout very loudly this time.

Finally, he turns around to face me, looking very frustrated. “Oh for the love of-“

I don’t let him finish his sentence. This is my chance. I push his shoulder hard enough for his back to hit lightly on the tree trunk. Staring right into his eyes, I say “You need a break, Mitsuki”.

“No, I don’t. The fate of the Kingdom lies in our hands, Nagi” He argues.

“ _Listen,_ at this rate, we are just going to march into our deaths.” Mitsuki’s sense is dulled by his emotions. Unless he sorts them out, he remains extremely vulnerable if the demons were to attack us now.

“Then what do you propose I do, huh?”

“Half of your life is in my hands. Half of mine is in yours. We are in this together.”

Mitsuki sighs. He gives in and sits down right under that tree, hugging his knees. There, he begins to tell this tale.

“My actual name is Izumi Mitsuki, which makes me the oldest son in the royal family of Oupurin Kingdo-“

“Wait” I cut Mitsuki off. Something is just not right. “You can’t be older than King Izumi??”

“Hey now!” He makes a fist and knocks my head. Ouch. “I’m a fully grown 21-year-old adult! Iori is only 16.”

I slap both my cheeks in surprise. “ _OH MAH GAHD?_ You’re OLDER than ME? Why are you so short?”

“AS IF I HAD A CHOICE YOU IDIOT!” He picks up a small stone and throws it at me this time. Oh, what have I done wrong? No matter, I need to change the subject before he wrecks my pretty face.

“So why are you hiding your identity as a Rokuya?”

“The previous king, my father, was ill. We knew one day the illness would claim him, so I alone made him promise me something” Mitsuki explains.

“And that is?”

“I told him to choose Iori as the next king. Had I become the next king, a fine swordsman like Iori was sure to be sent out on this mission we are doing. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself for putting my brother’s life at risk. However, that was not enough. My brother would never be safe if the Kingdom itself was not. I asked my father to appoint me as a holy knight serving the king”

So that was it. He could not serve a king as royalty, so he was willing to part with his status for his family, and even his kingdom. Not wanting his people to get hurt, he made himself a holy knight, so that he could declare to carry out this dangerous mission without any objections.

To me, Mitsuki is one true nobleman.

Mitsuki chuckled at one point and smiled a little. “Iori was really mad when he was crowned, you know? He cried for many nights. He cried so much it hurt, but I knew it was for the best.”

I have decided. I will protect Mitsuki with my life. He deserves to be saved.

I get on one knee, take Mitsuki’s hand close to my face and plant a gentle kiss on it.

“I shall be your knight in shining armour, my king Mitsuki. You have touched my heart, and so I shall return this feeling.”

( - )~~( - )

**::Mitsuki’s POV::**

We have resumed our journey, walking deeper and deeper into the forest. This time, Nagi is in front of me.

He is like candlelight in this eternal darkness.

I was only walking mindlessly earlier, but now I feel like I am getting my focus back. What is this feeling? I have only told him the story of my life. I never expected anything out of it, yet my heart bloomed when I heard his reply.

As a former royalty, I know it is my duty to live for my Kingdom. Who would have thought my heart would very much appreciate such kindness from this mysterious stranger?

Actually, he does not feel like a stranger to me. The way I let my guard down around him, and the way he lets me watch his back almost make it seem like we have been comrades in arms for a long time.

This feels nice.

~~

We are at the base of the volcano, flopping to the floor and leaning our backs on each other. My whole body is shaking to the point I forget how to control my muscles. Nagi is panting heavily.

Let me recall what happened.

We journeyed through the forest until we saw the base of the volcano getting nearer and nearer in sight. Nagi suggested that we take a short break soon as we exited the forest, which I agreed. We took turns leading, and while we had to remain vigilant, we talked from time to time.

Because Nagi did not have his memories, I ended up talking about myself most of the time. More than half of it was probably about Iori, in both a good and a bad way. You see, deep down I knew…

...that Iori would make a better king than I am.

And I might have accidentally hinted that while talking to Nagi. My little brother has always done everything perfectly. I, on the other hand, has always been perfectly ‘normal’. I just can’t help feeling jealous sometimes.

But! I love Iori dearly. No amount of jealousy is going to change that.

Whatever I said to Nagi, be it a rant or a fun talk, he always smiled back at me. Occasionally, he said funny things that did not quite make sense, but I guess that is part of his charm. He has this mysterious power to lift people’s mood.

Na- wait...WAIT I’m not supposed to be talking about Nagi! Okay, back to the point. Just as we were about to exit the forest, all trees around us went up in flames. It was so sudden that even Nagi was caught off guard. Instantly, the guy wrapped his arm over my chest before taking me off the ground with him using that super jump power.

The moment we landed at the volcano’s base, the source of the forest fire came to light. A wolf demon lunged forward, aiming its clawed hand at Nagi’s neck. Fortunately, Nagi countered that attack with his spear, which was summoned the second he landed.

Nagi exchanged blows after blows with that burgundy red-haired demon. Those red eyes were full of nothing but pure killing intent. It was indeed a wolf on its hunt.

Nagi’s crystal blue eyes showed no fear. His movements were graceful, almost as if he was a dancer on stage. I had never ever seen a knight so skilled with his weapon. Even our legendary knight Yaotome Gaku could not swing his sword with this kind of precision.

Did heaven send its protector to us?

Before I knew it, Nagi’s gleaming spear pierced right through the demon’s heart, turning it into ash. He walked towards me and we ended up flopping to the ground in relief. That’s why we are in this state now.

“ _My king_ , are you unharmed?” Nagi turns to me and winks. Damn, that catches me off guard.

“Yeah. I mean, of course, yeah! Holy-! Nagi, that was amazing!” I feel like a kid watching a hero show. Can’t help it.

“I know my finishing move was as _beautiful_ as my face.” He says while striking a ‘sexy’ pose.

 _Sigh._ I take the part about the protector from heaven back. He is just an eccentric idiot.

~~

The heat is crazy.

As planned, we are making our way up the volcano Larkrann. Iori told us this volcano has gone extinct, so who would expect this to be so hot? Nagi seems to have more trouble with heat than I am. His hair and clothes are drenched with sweat. I can hear his breathing from behind.

Nagi needs rest. Then again, that could make things worse if heat is causing him trouble. I might be better to push on and find that secret path as fast as possible.

“Wah-!?”

“Nagi!?!”

I lunge forward to grab Nagi’s shoulder, helping him regain balance. For a second, my heart dropped to the hard ground. I thought he was going to fall! This volcano’s surface is not smooth. It is full of uneven rocks and dirt, meaning it is easy to slip and fall. Not to mention we are quite high up.

We are on a fairly flat path, so we are not too close to the edge, but not too far from it either. Our surroundings are pretty dark despite it being daytime. Our Kingdom will be surrounded in eternal darkness like this if we cannot complete our mission.

Nagi and I, at least one of us must make it back to the Kingdom with the light sphere.

No…

We both must return alive. Far too many lives have been lost.

“ _Mitsuki LOOK OUT!!!_ ”

All of a sudden, I feel something large hit my head. My whole body feels strangely light. Nagi is looking at me with a shocked face full of devastation.

Ah.

Shit. I am falling.

( - )~~( - )

**::Nagi’s POV::**

Mitsuki is falling off the mountain cliff, right in front of me, after being hit by flying a demon. My mind goes blank. All I know is that I have to save Mitsuki.

So I jump down, reaching my hand towards him while shouting his name.

“MITSUKIIII!!!”

However, he is only falling faster than I am. I can still see his face. It shows an expression of horrible shock and fear.

I do not want to see that anymore. _Please_ , god let me save this boy.

Immediately after I prayed, everything turns pitch black. I do not seem to be falling, and my body seems to be frozen on the spot, although I cannot see anything.

Then there is that sweet voice again…

_My, my. I thought giving you human intelligence would make you smarter than this._

It seems I can reply. “Who are you?”

_That is not important right now. Do you not have a king to save?_

“Then tell me how to do it already.”

_You already knew the answer, Nagi_

Without time to prepare, we are back to falling-mode reality. I immediately summon my _other_ power I forgot I have.

“MAGICAL FLASH!!”

Mitsuki and I are engulfed in light. Within a second, we are teleported back to where we were before. Mitsuki lies unconscious on the ground. I cannot check on him yet. If my power really did turn back time, then that demon would appear at any moment now. I take my fighting stance, readying my spear…

and pierces it through the demon’s chest the moment it flies here in high speed.

The demon’s eyes widen as they travel down to the wound. “Ugh! H-how-“ Its body turns into ash before any more words left its mouth.

I drop my summoned spear, which safely disperses into light, jump to where Mitsuki is lying and flop to my knee. Gently, I touch two of my fingers on the side of Mitsuki’s neck to check for his pulse. A huge sense of relief destroys a stone sitting on my chest as I can feel his pulse.

_You used your power. There is no need to worry in the first place._

This time, the voice I am hearing is not quite inside my head anymore. I swiftly get up on my feet and turn around to the source of that voice. End up flinching to see a ghost-like translucent pretty lady with neck-length white hair. “It seems I owe you much. Who might you be, my fair lady?” Without her sweet-voiced guidance, Mitsuki and I would not have made it out alive.

Her neutral expression turns into that of a big frown. “I am a man. Who would have thought an accumulation of the souls of the lost heroes would turn into such a womanizer?”

Gasping in shock, I cup my face. “ _Oh!_ I’ve never thought I’d ever met a man who can match my level of beauty!”

The pretty man seems to be rolling his eyes. I wonder why. He speaks. His gaze now drifts to unconscious Mitsuki. “Protect that boy. You can’t get the light sphere without him”

It looks like I have the need to be serious now. “I am planning to do just that even if you did not tell me to. Now, it is a bit unfair for you to be the only one to know about me, _yes_?”

“I disagree” The ghost man replies. I cannot guess what he may be thinking. “It is better if you don’t know.”

“And I believe it is not for you to decide” This man could be the only clue to my past, I am not about to let him go so easily.

“Very well” The ghost sighs. “It’s not like you can rest without completing your duty anyway” He now looks straight into my eyes. “I am Natsume Minami. As much of an idiot as you are, I hope you have figured out that I am a spirit.”

“ _Oh?_ How did you die?”

He chooses to ignore my question. “All you need to know is that I was once a demon lord. Several years past, I promised the king of the humans that demons would leave human territory in peace.”

Oh, I get it! “Then you died, and your underlings start attacking humans”

“Please refrain from making my kind sound like total brutes.” He glares at me. Why is he so grumpy? “Demons are demons. They are meant to carry out their roles: to be evil, to wreak havoc. Since my death, no one is there to keep the demons in check, so their natural instinct consumes them.”

“Roles?” That particular word catches my ear. “Am I in a storybook after all?”

“No, this world is real. The only thing that is unreal…” He lifts his finger and points it at my face. “...is you, Nagi.”

I am not so sure how to respond to that. Did he mean to say my beautiful face and perfect features are all a lie?

“You are what I created to save humans. You are a hero. A saviour. A legend.” He smiles amusedly. “You are here to play that role. That is your sole reason for existing.”

“I…” Confused, I look at my shaky hands. I look around myself, and at Mitsuki.

“Ufufufu a good face you are making” Minami puts his hand on his chin and laughs. His smile is mischievous. Now I believe he is a demon lord spirit. “You went ahead and made friends with that boy. You vowed to make him happy…” He eyes Mitsuki, who is still sleeping. “...not knowing you will be the one who leaves him with heartbreak the instant you disperses into light!”

 _Oh no._ I am supposed to feel the heat of the volcano, yet the only thing I can feel now is the cold chill. I am here to help Mitsuki save his kingdom, but once that is done…

...I will disappear.

“Ahahahaha humans are stupid down to the soul.” Minami mutters to himself, but loud enough for me to hear. Once he stops, he keeps his smile and says “Get on with the mission already. I cannot wait to watch how the events will unfold. Fufufufu.”

He disappears, leaving me on my knees.

~~

I do not care about myself disappearing.

I do, however, care about Mitsuki’s feeling.

He deserves eternal happiness, after all the pain he has gone through.

And you are saying I am going to be the one to destroy that? It is unacceptable, disgusting even!

Then again, it’s not like I have any other options.

A while ago, Mitsuki woke up, asking me what had happened. I told him about my time-travelling power. I did not have the heart to tell him what I learned about myself, because his smile almost reached his ears. “Nagi, you are SO COOL!!!” He jumped back on his feet before pressing his hands firmly on my shoulders.

“You are our light of hope!” He said.

Even now, as we are searching for a path that will take us under the sea, Mitsuki is excitedly talking about life after we bring peace to the Kingdom. He dances around, describing how happy people will be when we return with the light sphere. He goes on about how we will return as heroes.

Mitsuki’s movements and actions all express bliss. “I can’t believe it Nagi! After this, there will be no more fighting. Iori won’t have to worry about securing food supplies and all that war thing! Ah! It will be our first time living in peace. I wonder what it will be like?”

 _God._ Who would have thought that seeing someone so happy could bring so much pain?

“Ne, Nagi…” Mitsuki tones down his excitement before turning to smile at me. It seems he does not yet notice the turmoil in my head, or that I do not let it show on my face. He continues. “I’ve always wanted to become an entertainer, you know? I want to sing and dance, to make people happy like what you are doing to me now.”

I remain silent so that I would not let anything slip.

“But being a royalty, I know that is not possible. I need to do what’s best for my Kingdom. I need to keep supporting Iori. We will have much work to do in terms of restoring our towns. Come to think of it, that makes people happy too right? Ahaha...haha…” He laughs dryly.

“ _Oh?_ Why don’t you do both?” I offer him the first suggestion I could think of.

“Oh yeah I can-HAAAAHHHH?!?” Mitsuki makes an angry face, putting his hands firmly on his waist. “You want me to serve the king and perform while has duty outside the castle? BAKA!!!”

“ _YES!!_ ” I think that is an _AMAZING_ idea. “What’s the problem with that?”

Mitsuki groans. “Y-you- Ugh! You don’t understand anything, do you? I can’t sully the image of our royal bloodline even if they don’t know my true identity. Imagine a king’s retainer performing in a bar!”

“Well, you can be the first retainer to do that, no?” I still don’t see the problem with that.

Mitsuki lets out a sigh. “Look, it’s never going to happen, okay?”

Seeing Mitsuki trying to hide his disappointment, I think I should do something. “You said if I were to help you complete this mission, then you would get me anything right?”

He shrugs his eyebrow. “Yea. What do you have in mind?”

“I want you to do that. Become a king’s retainer who also performs.” I give him a wink. “For me?”

“Y-you…” He stops in his track, giving me a questioned look. “You seriously are going to take this as your reward?”

” _YES!!_ ” I shout so loud he has to remind me we are prone to demon attacks.

He turns his back to me, speaking with a quieter, shakier voice. “Then you’ll watch me perform, right?”

“Yes” I reply.

“You’ll watch every single show, right?”

“Yes!!” I give him my best smile. “ _Mitsuki, are you happy?_ ”

“... _yes!!_ ” He blinks twice before replying with the most energetic smile ever.

Oh boy, what have I done?

....but everyone will be happy this way. Mitsuki will get to pursue his dream as well.

This is for the best.

()~~()

**::Mitsuki’s POV::**

Can you believe it? We’re under the sea! And this is not even an ordinary cave. It is magical! It’s more like we are under a transparent barrier-like tunnel. We get to see all sorts of cool fishes here.

I get it. We are not here for sightseeing. We should be safe underwater, but this path will take us up to land in the middle of the sea somewhere, and there, we have to be on our guard.

Nagi seems more serious than when we set off. When we were finding our path down here, he was much more forceful fighting off demons. Well, I guess it’s nothing. We’re both weary from this journey. It’s probably getting to him as well.

How did we find our way down here? Well, we were wandering around until we found an enormous boulder somewhere along our volcano hike. We were going to walk past it since it looked nothing out of ordinary when it suddenly glowed and shapeshifted into a temporary tunnel entrance. Has it got something to do with my royal blood? I hope not. Otherwise, it means all the swordsmen we have sent to complete this mission could never find a path down here, provided that they ever made it here in the first place.

I can’t wait for this journey to be over! I’m so happy it turns out this way. Later, I want to convince Nagi to stay in our town. I can accept it if he wants to travel to different places in the Kingdom to uncover his past. Though, I want him to know that he will always have a home here should anything unfortunate happen.

Thank you to heaven for blessing me with such a great friend.

~~

“Ready, Nagi?”

“Anytime, my king.”

It is time to say goodbye to the pretty fishes under the sea. It is now time to fight despair. We are ready to exit this tunnel, which means we have to be ready for anything.

From here, we can see a rock cave with some sort of a large fancy door about less than half a kilometre away. Who built this here? Anyway, our objective is to retrieve the orb inside it.

This will be our final battle.

I make eye contact with Nagi. He nods, so I return it. It seems he wants this to be over as much as I do.

It is likely that door will react to me so I shall take the lead. “On the count of three, then. 3, 2, 1…charge!!”

With our weapons in hand, we run towards our goal, looking around ourselves along the way. It is strange. We do not see any demons, which means there must be something inside that mysterious cave.

And it can’t be good.

In front of the door, I am raising my hand to touch it when Nagi suddenly grabs hold of my wrist.

“ _Wait, Mitsuki_ ” He stares right into my eyes. “Promise me one thing.”

Seriously this guy. I swear he does not know how to read the situation. “Can’t it wait? We are about to have a showdown here!”

“ _No_ ” He denies.

Sighing, I say “Make it quick then.”

“If anything were to happen to me, promise me you will take the sphere and escape.”

I chuckle. “Come on, Nagi. We will both be fine.”

“ _Mitsuki_ ” He squeezes my wrist even tighter. Why is his face so deadly serious?

“Alright, I promise, Nagi.”

He slowly lets go of my wrist, finally showing his charming smile and a wink. “ _Good!_ ”

With that, I place my palm against the door, and as expected, it reacts to my blood.

Behind that door, we can both see what we have been searching for all this time: the light sphere. It is sitting on a large squared stone podium. I would have smiled, that is, if no one is sitting beside it.

I turn to look at Nagi, and I am shocked to see his face. His mouth is hanging agape as his gaze lands on the person in front of him.

“Minami…” He mutters.

What is going on here? “What? Nagi, you know him?”

“He is a demon lord.”

“ _’Was’_ is the correct answer.” I let out a scream when suddenly, that demon appears right in front of my face. I jerk back and ready my blade when he tries to reach his hands to touch my face. Although, he does not appear to have a physical form? He smiles. “Worry not, I am not the one whom you have to fight.”

The demon steps back and snaps his finger. Purple and black orbs start gathering in the middle of the room. Soon, they take the shape of a human wielding a sword.

Worst, ‘it’ seems to be someone I know.

“Yaotome Gak-“

Before I could do anything, Nagi steps in front of me to parry Yaotome’s sword with his gleaming spear. Why is he attacking us?

“He is not of this world, Mitsuki. Don’t let his appearance get to you!” Nagi shouts at me while attempting to corner Yaotome with consecutive hits.

I look around to find the demon lord spirit is not around anymore, so I can focus on helping Nagi. “Listen, Nagi! Yaotome has got an endurance of a battleship” I shout at Nagi who still cannot manage to land a single hit on the fake Yaotome.

“So we need a plan” he shouts back.

Yaotome does not react to Nagi’s words. I shall assume he does not understand us. “Get him near the corner, I will take over from there.”

Nagi goes quiet for a second before reply. “I got it, partner!”

I can see it, Nagi is summoning his strength and hitting Yaotome with more aggressive attacks. Yaotome can only take steps back, little by little. Once the fake swordsman is near enough to the wall, I dash forward towards the two of them. “HAAAAHHHHH NOW!” Nagi jumps up high the instant my foot lands right behind his back. I take up my sword and parries Yaotome’s attack.

I let Yaotome push me back with his attacks. As suspected, he has also inherited short temper from the real guy. I lure him to an open area, before pretending to fall down. Yaotome jumps above me, pointing his sword down, readying his finishing move.

Nagi descends from above and pierces the spear through Yaotome’s body, turning him into ash. Phew. A second later and I would have been dead.

My mind needs a moment to actually process all these events. We really did it, didn’t we? We saved our Kingdom!

I push myself up and walk towards the stone bench to retrieve the light sphere. I then turn around and jump forward to hug Nagi.

“W-We did it! We really did it!”

“ _Yes, Mitsuki._ ”

“Wah-“

Nagi returns the hug. His is so much firmer. What strikes me as odd is how my shoulder starts to feel wet, how Nagi’s cries sound so heartbreaking, and how looser this embrace feels, even though none of us has shaken ourselves free.

“...!” I gasp when Nagi’s body starts to glow. Light yellow orbs start to float up, disappearing into thin air. “Nagi, what’s happening to you?!” I pull away then try to grab his arm, but my hand goes right through his body.

“ _Mitsuki_ ” He smiles at me, with his teary face. “I’m very sorry to have to leave you like this”

I can’t believe what I am hearing “Leave?”

~(OwO)(OwO)~

**::Nagi’s POV::**

“What are you talking about? You can’t leave!!”

Mitsuki bursts into tears. He tries again and again to grab hold of me, but my body is only getting harder to see. He is shouting all sorts of things at me, even getting on his knees to beg for me to stay.

“Mi-“

He cuts me off. “You told me to pursue my dream!” He pounds the hard ground with his fist. “You promised you would watch all of my shows!”

“ _Mitsuki,_ live…”

My voice starts to disappear. At this point, I do not know what is happening to me anymore. However, I can still catch a glimpse at Mitsuki’s face. His eyes are full of pain. He is hurt.

Yet…I want him to hear these last words.

“Be...ha...a...p..py”

.......…

..............…

..................…

“* _sob_ * How can I be * _sob*_ happy when I have * _sob_ * lost my dear friend…?”

~(T_T)(T_T)~

**::Iori’s POV::**

It has been a month since Nii-san returned to the Kingdom with the light sphere in his hand. The instant a villager spotted him walking lifelessly into town, he ran around shouting “Our hero has returned!”. Everyone in town headed to the square to see. Osaka and Yotsuba came to tell me of the news. I rushed to the square immediately, thinking everyone would be in a celebratory mood.

I was wrong. People formed a circle in the square, but they stayed silent. In the middle of it, I found Nii-san on the ground, weeping to no end. There was no sign of Nagi.

The usually cute Nii-san hardly ever sincerely smiles anymore. He did tell me, Osaka and Yotsuba about what happened. We decided to tell the people of our kingdom just that. A stone statue of Nii-san wielding a sword and Nagi holding a spear was build in the middle of the town square as a memorial.

This tale must not be forgotten for how much Nii-san has sacrificed for the sake of our Kingdom.

~(T_T)(T_T)~

**::Mitsuki’s POV::**

I know I am strong.

I know I can get through this.

Yet everything that is going on in this Kingdom reminds me of Nagi. The peace, the blue sky, the happy faces of the residents….

It’s hard to not grieve, even when he told me to be happy.

Iori went ahead and told everyone of our journey, including how I chose to throw away my birthright. I have received many praises and words of admiration from the townspeople. They think of me and Nagi as their hero. I am glad they remember Nagi, but I wish he would be here to experience this himself.

I walk towards the stone statue. Tonight is quiet, which is perfect as I need some time alone. Reaching my hands to touch Nagi’s part of the statue, I think of the last hug he gave me.

“Nagi...I wish you were happy too.”

All of a sudden, I hear footsteps. I quickly turn my head to the right. There in the far distance, I catch a glimpse of a person walking and disappearing behind a wall of a tall bush. He definitely had blond hair, not to mention he was also strikingly radiant.

Without wasting a moment, I run towards that light.

“Nagi!”

**_~END~_ **

**Author's Note:**

> And....that's it!! The idea of this fic comes from a mix of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Final Fantasy 10 and Fire Emblem so it's not the most original but I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for reading!  
> If you want to talk to me, I'm on twitter as @kenarkrsun ^^  
> If you like my fic (thank you!) I have quite a few other i7 fanfics to offer on my profile ><  
> Have a lovely day, lovely people!


End file.
